Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming part of how we work, learn, create, communicate and make decisions. Its potential is extraordinary, and so are the questions its use raises. The CONTAIN Initiative is founded on the belief that the answers to these questions should be decided upon by all of us, not just technology companies, governments or experts. Everyone’s voice should be heard, because AI affects all of us.

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AI is a tool. What matters is what we choose to do with it, where we choose to use it, what authority we give it, and who is accountable when its use affects others, whether intentionally or unintentionally. AI offers extraordinary potential to improve lives, expand knowledge, increase productivity, and advance science and medicine. It also presents serious risks, including fraud, manipulation, loss of privacy, economic disruption and the unintended consequences of increasingly autonomous systems.

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The growth of artificial intelligence also raises fundamental questions about authorship, ownership and the rights of creators and producers. Human-created works, including books, music, artwork, journalism and software, are being used, with or without consent, to train AI systems whose outputs may compete with the original creators. We believe these issues deserve serious attention and that the legitimate rights of creators and producers must be respected, including questions of consent, attribution and compensation.

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At the center of CONTAIN's position is a fundamental premise: When an AI system can directly or indirectly cause change outside itself, its capabilities and potential consequences must determine the safeguards and oversight required before deployment. We must consider what AI should be allowed to do, under whose authority, within what limits, with what safeguards, and who is ultimately accountable.

Not every AI system presents the same risk. An AI system that turns down the lights in your home is very different from one capable of shutting down electrical power to a county or state. The safeguards required should reflect each system's capabilities and the potential consequences if something goes wrong. Safeguards should precede deployment, not follow harm.

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As AI capabilities advance, safeguards, oversight and regulation must keep pace. While the European Union has taken significant steps toward establishing enforceable AI safeguards, the United States has yet to enact a comparable comprehensive federal framework. We believe this gap warrants urgent attention from American lawmakers. Appropriate protections should exist at federal, state and local levels, supported by international cooperation where AI's reach crosses national boundaries.

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We welcome the extraordinary benefits of artificial intelligence and the innovations it makes possible. We also believe progress and protection should advance hand in hand. CONTAIN strives to follow developments, examine the issues, ask difficult questions and provide information that contributes to informed public discussion. The pace of AI advancement makes that discussion urgent, not something to postpone until consequences become apparent.

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We encourage everyone to participate in decisions that will shape our future. We seek information from multiple sources, invite differing perspectives, and strive to distinguish fact from opinion. Our goal is to help people question, examine and reach their own conclusions.

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The CONTAIN Initiative does not exist to provide answers. Our goal is simply to help chart a path toward finding them together.